Don’t look now, but the future is closer than you think.
After being branded as the Next Big Thing for the longest time, artificial intelligence is muscling its way into the mainstream.
A report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University shows that the public’s use of generative AI — a system’s ability to create original content from existing material — has surged in the past year.
The proportion of people who have used a stand-alone generative-AI system such as ChatGPT climbed to 61% in 2025 from 40% in 2024. Weekly AI use nearly doubled, to 34% from 18%.
Information seeking has become the primary use case for AI, more than doubling to 24% weekly usage and surpassing media creation, the study said. Specialized uses like news consumption remain limited at 6%.
“AI adoption has accelerated at an unprecedented rate, as millions of people are now using AI on a regular basis both for their professional work and leisure activities,” according to the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial IntelligenceAI Index Report.
“As high-performing, low-cost and openly available models proliferate, AI’s accessibility and impact are set to expand even further.”
AI adoption by the general public and in business has accelerated at an unprecedented rate.
Report: AI is what’s happening now
The number of newly funded generative AI startups nearly tripled, the report said, “and after years of sluggish uptake, business adoption accelerated significantly in 2024.’
Trust remains a major challenge, the report said. Fewer people say AI companies will safeguard their data, and concerns about fairness and bias persist.
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“Misinformation continues to pose risks, particularly in elections and the proliferation of deepfakes,” which are AI-created impersonations of people’s faces and voices, the study said. “In response, governments are advancing new regulatory frameworks aimed at promoting transparency, accountability and fairness.”
But public attitudes are also shifting. While skepticism remains, the Stanford report said, a 2024 global survey showed a notable rise in optimism about AI’s potential to deliver broad societal benefits.
“AI is no longer just a story of what’s possible — it’s a story of what’s happening now and how we are collectively shaping the future of humanity,” the report stated.
AI also can be good for a company’s bottom line. Industries most exposed to AI are seeing three times higher growth in revenue per employee, according to a report from PwC.
Since 2022, the year AI adoption notably accelerated, the auditing and accounting firm said, “these industries transitioned from laggards to leaders in productivity.”
“Artificial Intelligence is not replacing humans,” PwC said. “It’s making them more valuable.”
Fund manager calls AI structural change
PwC said 100% of industries are increasing AI usage, including sectors less obviously exposed to AI, like mining and agriculture.
Agentic AI, which can make decisions and execute tasks with minimal human supervision, “is a game changer,” the firm said.
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“AI is moving from passive generative intelligence to intelligent digital agents that can execute tasks, learn and support strategic decision-making,” PwC noted.
AI was one of the topics discussed during the Nov. 19 edition of the Stocks & Markets podcast.
“I think we’re underappreciating the value of AI,” said Eric Clark, chief investment officer of Accuvest and portfolio manager of Alpha Brands Consumption Leaders ETF (LOGO). “I’ve heard good reports that talk about AI deployment, and you can’t just put out some chatbots and call it good.”
“Your corporate infrastructure needs some reworking to implement AI if you intend to get great benefits, long-lasting, broad-based benefits,” he added. “And that just takes some time.”
Chris Versace, lead portfolio manager for TheStreet Pro, said that he was focused on the benefits that every company can get from deploying AI and how that affects their operating metrics, which track and evaluate a company’s day-to-day business processes.
“We know operating metrics improving is a direct correlation to stock performance,” he said. “So, we’re just looking at names that could deploy AI.”
“And when they do, we’re going to start seeing a step up in earnings, margins, revenue per employee data and all those kinds of good metrics, he added. “And then the stock should follow.”
Versace said AI is “a structural change that’s unfolding ahead of us.”
“I would argue that we’re probably in the late third or fourth inning,” he said. “I continue to watch rising adoption and usage levels.”
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